Celebrating 20 Years of Breakthrough: Spotlight on LaLee Lo
As Breakthrough Twin Cities celebrates 20 years of student success and community impact, we’re spotlighting alumni whose stories reflect the power of this work.
Meet LaLee Lo, a 2015 student alum and Teaching Fellow whose journey through Breakthrough helped reconnect him with his identity and inspired a career rooted in purpose and data-driven impact.
LaLee discovered Breakthrough Twin Cities at a pivotal point in his life. College had taken him away from the Hmong community he grew up in, leading to a deeper reflection on identity, heritage, and access to education. “College was the first time I had been away from Hmong people. It made me spend time with my culture and identity in a way I hadn’t before,” LaLee said.
“I learned how disparate college attainment numbers were for Hmong people—my people. I had always known that Hmong people were lacking in resources, but it had never sat with me like it had when I looked at the data.”
Motivated by the desire to make a difference, LaLee returned home and found Breakthrough, a space where he could help close the gaps he saw and make an impact in his community.
BTC Memories
One of LaLee’s favorite memories from Breakthrough is dancing in the hallways! That simple, joyful tradition captures what Breakthrough meant to him. “The summer experience is a lot of things, but it is all rooted in joy,” he said. “From the little things like the corny jokes teachers would make to each other, to the joy and satisfaction I would get from a successfully executed lesson.”
One mentor still stands out: Daniel Bernal. “Even a decade later, I still hold Daniel Bernal in high regard as one of the best leaders I have been around,” LaLee said. “He has an innate ability to create a loving culture where students are excited to learn and teachers are eager to hone their craft.”
From Engineering to Education
LaLee’s path after Breakthrough took several turns, but the influence of the program was always there. “Halfway through my senior year, I realized that the engineering degree I had spent so long pursuing did not hold a career fit for me,” he said.
Instead, he used his STEM background to pivot into a data role in a private marketing firm. Yet, Breakthrough lingered in his mind. “The impact I had and the joy I felt doing the work was immeasurable,” he reflected. When his time in marketing came to an end, LaLee returned to the field of education—now working at Great MN Schools.
Life Today
Today, LaLee is the Senior Manager of Data and Community Tools at Great MN Schools, where he creates resources to help families better understand and navigate the K–12 ecosystem in Minneapolis. His work continues the mission that first brought him to Breakthrough: to empower communities through access and knowledge.
He’s also found joy in his personal life—he’s been married for nearly five years to My Bui, a fellow Teaching Fellow he met during his summer at Breakthrough.
